From Damar Randle:
I want to briefly thank the Lord for His blessings to me! I just finished reading in 1 Kings and started the second book. While reading here I've seen the Power of God.
In 2 Kings the Second Chapter you see where Elijah, with the Power of God parted the waters of Jordan and they walked on dry land(v.8). Then a little further down, Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind and Elisha, his successor, is left. Elisha took the mantle of Elijah, and smite the waters saying "where is the God of Elijah?" I believe here God showed just as He was The God to Elijah, He is the same to Elisha.
Now, I want to briefly step away and look at my life. If you've lived in California for any length of time you've heard the name of Sis. Francis Blackwell, my great great great Aunt. Aunt Francis was saved and took her place in the Church of God Evening Light in the 1920s. Another name drop is Sis. Gladys Foster, my Great Grandmother. These two women were wonderful examples of the power of God. But, like Elijah, they both have claimed their rewards.
They've left a wonderful heritage for me. But, just as God was for them, He wants to be for me. I don't have to be satisfied in calling on the God of Francis or Gladys, but I can call on my God. The Lord showed himself faithful to Elisha and had many times proven faithful to me.
The Lord has been to me a comfort, a deliverer, a shield, a father, a friend and most of all a Savior. We must develop a personal knowledge and relationship with God. He wants that relationship with you!
- Damar Randle
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Monday, April 6, 2020
Act Like It
From Laura Adams:
“You want to serve me? Then act like it” He told me. I was taken aback. But Lord, haven’t I been trying? What have I been doing all this time? Again He told me, “Act like it”.
The path leading to this place had been anything but pleasant and I’d probably cried more in one month than I thought was humanly possible. I felt so torn up inside; like a billion different thoughts were racing in my mind but nothing was happening. The anxiety built up inside me was so strong I couldn’t hardly go out for any outing without having to leave early because of the sheer volume of negative, interrupting thoughts in my head. Internal combustion seemed eminent. Prior to me begging the Lord for help, I had Googled this exact phrase: “Why am I crying so much?” To which the first suggestion was, what is a word for crying too much? The answer? A crybaby. I laughed out loud.
Here I was, bawling my eyes out alone in my room and in my moment of despair what should call me out except some algorithm on Google?! How humiliating. The term crybaby got stuck in my brain. My goodness that is exactly what I am. I began praying to the Lord, “Lord, you see where I’m at and what I’m going through. Please don’t give up on me. I know you created me for a purpose, just don’t give up on me”. The Lord began revealing to me that all of the things that I was so hung up on were because I wasn’t looking to Him. I kept taking my eyes off of my Savior, the one who created me, the author and finisher of my faith, and expected to succeed. Lo and behold! I did not succeed.
I look back on so many times the Lord tried to show me this very thing and I would just brush it off. I’d say to myself, “Oh God just wants me to spend more time reading the Word” or “He’s just wanting me to trust Him, yeah yeah yeah same ole’ same ole’”. Well duh. All those things are part of looking to Him. They are all parts of learning to trust Him and His timing. I never cease to be amazed at how oblivious I can be to the Lord’s dealings in my life. I can’t thank Him enough for His patience with me and my blunders.
So, here we are, back to the phrase God placed in my heart: “You want to serve me? Then act like it”. Whew. Talk about getting the wind knocked out of your sails. When you look back and realize how much your were spinning your wheels, it can be quite sobering. I want to move forward and certainly not backward, but to just be jogging in place? Yikes. Not cool. The more I think about it the more I realize that that is just what the enemy wants. Maybe he can’t get us to backslide, but he can have us thinking that we’re not good enough to move forward. That thought process alone is enough for him to get his foot in the door to wreak havoc in your life.
Well, let me tell you, I am thanking the Lord that He has revealed this to me and I think of that song “My Soul Be On Thy Guard”. I want to be alert of the enemies tactics and seek the Lord every second of every day because I know that is where my mind needs to stay.
Isaiah 26:3
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
- Laura Adams
“You want to serve me? Then act like it” He told me. I was taken aback. But Lord, haven’t I been trying? What have I been doing all this time? Again He told me, “Act like it”.
The path leading to this place had been anything but pleasant and I’d probably cried more in one month than I thought was humanly possible. I felt so torn up inside; like a billion different thoughts were racing in my mind but nothing was happening. The anxiety built up inside me was so strong I couldn’t hardly go out for any outing without having to leave early because of the sheer volume of negative, interrupting thoughts in my head. Internal combustion seemed eminent. Prior to me begging the Lord for help, I had Googled this exact phrase: “Why am I crying so much?” To which the first suggestion was, what is a word for crying too much? The answer? A crybaby. I laughed out loud.
Here I was, bawling my eyes out alone in my room and in my moment of despair what should call me out except some algorithm on Google?! How humiliating. The term crybaby got stuck in my brain. My goodness that is exactly what I am. I began praying to the Lord, “Lord, you see where I’m at and what I’m going through. Please don’t give up on me. I know you created me for a purpose, just don’t give up on me”. The Lord began revealing to me that all of the things that I was so hung up on were because I wasn’t looking to Him. I kept taking my eyes off of my Savior, the one who created me, the author and finisher of my faith, and expected to succeed. Lo and behold! I did not succeed.
I look back on so many times the Lord tried to show me this very thing and I would just brush it off. I’d say to myself, “Oh God just wants me to spend more time reading the Word” or “He’s just wanting me to trust Him, yeah yeah yeah same ole’ same ole’”. Well duh. All those things are part of looking to Him. They are all parts of learning to trust Him and His timing. I never cease to be amazed at how oblivious I can be to the Lord’s dealings in my life. I can’t thank Him enough for His patience with me and my blunders.
So, here we are, back to the phrase God placed in my heart: “You want to serve me? Then act like it”. Whew. Talk about getting the wind knocked out of your sails. When you look back and realize how much your were spinning your wheels, it can be quite sobering. I want to move forward and certainly not backward, but to just be jogging in place? Yikes. Not cool. The more I think about it the more I realize that that is just what the enemy wants. Maybe he can’t get us to backslide, but he can have us thinking that we’re not good enough to move forward. That thought process alone is enough for him to get his foot in the door to wreak havoc in your life.
Well, let me tell you, I am thanking the Lord that He has revealed this to me and I think of that song “My Soul Be On Thy Guard”. I want to be alert of the enemies tactics and seek the Lord every second of every day because I know that is where my mind needs to stay.
Isaiah 26:3
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
- Laura Adams
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